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The term medical marijuana refers to using the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant, or its basic extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions. Research shows that medical marijuana gets its medicinal properties from the combination of cannabinoids and terpenes found within it.

Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds found in the Medical Marijuana plant that aid in the management of pain and mental health treatment. To date, 104 cannabinoids have been formally identified. The two most abundant cannabinoids in Medical Marijuana are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the primary psychoactive in the Medical Marijuana plant, and it is commonly used as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and other health conditions. CBD shares neuroprotective effects with THC; however, it does not induce psychoactive effects.

The Endocannabinoid System

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is a neuromodulatory system that is made up of cannabinoid receptors and cannabinoids themselves. When cannabinoids from the Medical Marijuana plant are consumed, they bind to the cannabinoid receptors in the body, and from there, the enzymes within the ECS are responsible for the synthesis of the cannabinoids, which produces the effects of Medical Marijuana.

The ECS is a vital component of the body’s central nervous system and immune system. It directly enables the body to maintain homeostasis by regulating certain functions such as sleep, inflammation, pain, memory, mood, and appetite. 

There are two primary types of cannabinoid receptors within the ECS: CB1 & CB2. The CB1 receptors are located throughout the brain,  and spinal cord (the central nervous system) and are known to interact directly with the cannabinoid THC. CB2 receptors are located in the organs and tissues of the immune system, such as tonsils, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and white-blood-cell-making bone marrow.

The Entourage Effect

When Medical Marijuana is consumed, the body’s endocannabinoid system processes hundreds of botanical compounds, the primary two being cannabinoids and terpenes. On their own, each of these two compounds has its own distinct set of therapeutic benefits as well as physical effects and mental effects. 

Together, terpenes and cannabinoids work synergistically to maximize the benefits of one another.  This relationship is known as the Entourage Effect, the theory that Medical Marijuana’s compounds work better together rather than in isolation.

Eligibility to purchase Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania involves a few steps. First, a prospective patient must register for the program through the Medical Marijuana Registry. 

Next, an approved physician must certify that you suffer from one of the following medical conditions: 

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
• Anxiety disorders.
• Autism.
• Cancer, including remission therapy.
• Crohn’s disease.
• Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord) an with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and other associated neuropathies.
• Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders.
• Epilepsy.
• Glaucoma.
• HIV / AIDS.
• Huntington’s disease.
• Inflammatory bowel disease.
• Intractable seizures.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Neurodegenerative diseases.
• Neuropathies.
• Opioid use disorder for which conventional therapeutic interventions are contraindicated or ineffective, or for which adjunctive therapy is indicated in combination with primary therapeutic interventions.
• Parkinson’s disease.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain.
• Sickle cell anemia.
• Terminal illness.
• Tourette syndrome.

Finally, prospective patients must purchase a Medical Marijuana ID card, and only then can one obtain Medical Marijuana from an approved dispensary in Pennsylvania.

On April 17, 2016, The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16), legalizing the possession, sale, and consumption of Medical Marijuana. Under this law, only patients and caregivers who are Pennsylvania residents can purchase Medical Marijuana from dispensaries in the state under Pennsylvania marijuana laws. Because Pennsylvania only has a Medical Marijuana program, recreational use is prohibited. To obtain Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania, patients and caregivers must be added to the state’s registry and obtain a medical marijuana identification card.

To date, there are a total of 34 states in the U.S with a legal, Medical Marijuana program. Those states are made up of 23 states where only Medical Marijuana consumption is legal in addition to the 11 states with both a Medical Marijuana program and publicly available adult-use program. Adult-use is the common term used to describe the recreational use of the plant by people over the age of 21. Washington, D.C also has both medical use and recreational use programs. 

Although the use of Medical Marijuana is legal in many states, the laws surrounding exactly where you can consume the plant vary between them. Act 16 does not stipulate where cannabis consumption is allowed in Pennsylvania; however, cannabis consumption should take place in private due to existing federal laws. 

In the United States, the federal government still classifies marijuana as a schedule I controlled substance. This means that traveling over state lines with your medical marijuana is a federal crime.